-SOME SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW!-
Toho has quite a history of saying the Godzilla series is over.
1975's 'Terror of Mechagodzilla' was supposed to be the last one, then in 1984, 'The Return of Godzilla' was released and after a series of successful films, it was decided that the series would end in 1995 with 'Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah'. The filmmakers went so far as to kill off Godzilla.
Then 1998 happened and Toho wasn't having any of that. So they started a new Godzilla series the very next year, concluding with Godzilla: Final Wars in 2004. For the longest time, that WAS the last Godzilla movie, Toho even demolished their big pool where they shot all the water scenes.
And now, history has repeated itself. A new Godzilla movie was released from an American studio, but unlike the 1998 film, Godzilla 2014 was largely successful both financially and critically.
This was a great time for me and my buddy Kaiju Kidd, for the first time in a while, Godzilla was popular again. And Toho took notice of this and decided they were gonna start making their own Godzilla movies again.
But this one was gonna be a very different beast. First of all, this was the first real reboot of the series, not following any of the previous movies, not even the original 1954 film as most reboots did.
And Godzilla was given a complete head to tail makeover, looking drastically different then he ever has.
And after waiting through 2 and a half months of hype and spoiler dodging since the Japanese premiere, Shin Godzilla now has an American release thanks to FUNimation. But...did I like it?
The answer is: Yes, I did like it. However, I don't feel like I can place it on the same pedestal as I do the original film, The Return of Godzilla or even the 2014 film.
At least, not yet.
This is by far one of the most politically charged Godzilla movies ever, I don't think I've seen a Godzilla movie that looks as deep into the political side of a Kaiju attack since 'The Return of Godzilla'.
The Cabinet meets to decide on everything in this film. If you were to play a drinking game where you take a shot every time someone in the movie says "Prime Minister",
YOU.
WILL.
DIE!!!
But I thought those scenes are portrayed very well and realistically. Certainly better than our own government.
Hiroki Hasegawa and Satomi Ishihara are, by far, the stand out actors to me in this entire movie. Acting over all is great, despite a few displays of ham scattered throughout.
In a previous blog, I said I felt happy that Godzilla was still a guy in a suit. Well, it turns out that I got fooled. Godzilla is mostly brought to life entirely through CGI, and I still think it looks damn good.
Most of the time.
When you first see "Godzilla", the CG is kinda laughable, like 'CG GMK Ghidorah' laughable. Most of the audience laughed, I sat there shocked with my mouth open. But fortunately, the CG gets better and Godzilla himself looks better. But looks aren't everything.
One critic quote I kept seeing on the poster for this movie said this was "A reboot that is unquestionably Godzilla".
That's an interesting quote to me, I can say that the movie I saw was indeed a Godzilla movie, with Godzilla in it. But Godzilla himself was very hit or miss with me.
On the one hand, his third form doesn't bother me that much. I'm willing to accept that it's not a fully, realized Godzilla and if there is a sequel to this (and the ending slyly suggests that there will be) we might get a Godzilla that looks more like the traditional Big G we all know and love. And the purple atomic breath does look very nice.
On the other hand, while I'm on the subject of the Atomic Breath, it coming out of his Dorsal Fins and Tail, I find it to be a little...overdone.
That being said though, the scene where he does use the Dorsal Rays to turn Tokyo into a sea of fire and rubble is probably one of the most exciting and intense moments in the entire film.
Another thing I need to mention is the music and sound work. Aside from a really great and haunting original score composed by Shiro Sagisu, the movie is littered with stock music from previous Godzilla movies. And while it was great hearing those tracks from Akira Ifukube, I would've loved to hear more original music.
And if your familiar with previous Godzilla movies, you may recognize certain sound effects of buildings being smashed and artillery being fired.
Maybe that's what that one critic meant...
Overall, small gripes aside, I still really enjoyed watching Shin Godzilla. I don't know if I can quite put it in my top 5 or 10 Godzilla movies just yet, I may need to let it sit for a while and give it a few more watches on Blu-ray before I make my final decision.
But if you are a big Godzilla fan, go see this movie if any local theater is showing it. It is always a great experience to see a Godzilla movie on the big screen with a group of people, especially those who cheer at the appearance of the Toho logo.
The only other thing I can say is: #patterson2016
Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon
and I hope you've enjoyed your time here in my lair.
So long...
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